Chat with Ryan Hall

Welcome to SportsNation! On Thursday, U.S. Olympian Ryan Hall will stop by to chat about the ING NYC Marathon, which will go on as scheduled on Sunday in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

Hall is a two-time Olympian, having won the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials, before placing 10th at the Beijing Games. He placed second at the 2012 U.S. Olympic trials. He has run the fastest U.S. marathon times the last two years.

Hall will be in New York for Sunday's race, helping support the runners through Nissan's Innovation for Endurance. Hall will be at the Javits Center in New York City talking with fans at the Innovation for Endurance's exhibit.

Buzzmaster

(2:21 PM)

U.S. Olympic marathon runner Ryan Hall stops by to chat about this weekend's NYC marathon!

Buzzmaster

(2:35 PM)

We've got Ryan!

David Haut (Joplin, MO)

What is your running schedule like now - where do you see yourself a month from now?

Ryan Hall

(2:36 PM)

Right now I'm just building my foundation. I'm putting in a lot of good mileage. I equate these last few weeks like a punching bag. I took a month off to let my body recover. It's not the most fun part of training for me. I'm struggling through some runs. Right now it's all about building that important base and general mileage.

Chris (DC)

Ryan, how has being on the Innovation team helped you with your running?

Ryan Hall

(2:37 PM)

It's just connected me with a lot of cool people. Inspiring people. Last year I had the opportunity to have a photo shoot with Ryan Reynolds. This coming weekend, I'll be able to cross paths with Ryan Lochte and ask him about what his training is like. It surrounds me with great people. As I cross paths with those people, I glean what I can and come away learning things.

Adeline (Brooklyn, NY)

Hi Ryan! How do you feel about the decision to continue on with the marathon this weekend? I'm ready to run but definitely am not feeling great seeing all of the backlash against the race right now.

Ryan Hall

(2:39 PM)

I was just reading in the paper about that and what went into that decision. I really don't know. I can see both sides of it. They ran it in 2001 after 9/11 and it was a great unifying experience. But this time, it's happening right after the hurricane rolled through here. I was out running today and saw workers everywhere trying to get the city cleaned up. I think they've done a great job and it's only Thursday. I really don't know if it's the right call. I do know that sport has a unique way of bringing people together. I look at it as a unique way to bring the city together and celebrate life, even after a horrible tragedy.

Brian (Fishers, IN)

Is there a point in any given marathon that is more difficult for you? For example, when I run a marathon, I always seem to struggle with miles 18-20, more so than at any other point in the race.

Ryan Hall

(2:41 PM)

For me, it varies from marathon to marathon. I've had marathons where I had troubles with Mile 5 and others where I didn't have a bad patch. I am prepared for anything. If anything bad happens, I go in with an open mind expecting there might be some bad moments. The biggest thing is to just go into a race with a total open mind embracing each mile whether it's good or bad.

Nick (corona) [via mobile]

While training, how many miles do you run a day?

Ryan Hall

(2:41 PM)

It varies from day to day. Usually between 10 and 16 miles give or take.

Chris (Denver)

how does the city look? Have you checked out the marathon path?

Ryan Hall

(2:43 PM)

I haven't been on the course at all, but I usually don't go on it at all, because it's hard to run through the city. The huge bummer from a runner's perspective is Central Park is closed. I usually run all of the paths there for runners. I had to go elsewhere today and it worked great. It is a bummer to have the Park closed. Other than that, the city looks like it's in great condition. There's that crane that's at the top of the building. When we came in last night, it was eery to see part of the city with no lights on yet. There are a couple of things like that, but other than that it looks remarkably good.

Abby (Ann Arbor, MI)

Are you happy with coaching yourself? Are there aspects of it that make you want to hire a coach again?

Ryan Hall

(2:45 PM)

It has its good parts and challenges. There are certainly times when I thought I could use some more help putting together the day to day logistics. Sometimes I don't want to think about how to structure the training for a day or month, I just want to do it. Right now I'm looking at some coaches. But it's been a good journey. I've listened to my body and learn a lot about myself. I've experimented with a lot of different training, trying out some new things to keep the running fresh and fun.

Dave (LA)

Ryan Hall

(2:47 PM)

I actually came down with plantar fascitis a year ago. I tried everything. It was nasty. I turned my body into a running machine. I'm not the ideal runner or anything, but the more you run the less likely you are to get injured, to some extent. The toughest time to not get injured is when I first start out my training because my body is not used to it. For people that are runners, I say try to on to soft surfaces. And be consistent. Get out there and run. The more I run, the less injury prone you become. The body makes itself stronger. That's how I've been able to avoid injuries for the most part of my career.

David Haut (Joplin, MO)

I know you pay attention to your body when training, and take extra days off when your body isn't responding. On those weeks of extended rest, what becomes your focus when you resume training: volume or speed?

Ryan Hall

(2:49 PM)

That's a great question. I like to always keep a little bit of speed in there. The duration of intensity changse quite a bit when I first start my training. The biggest part is aerobic training. I try for 6:30 pace, my heart is running, but not an intense effort. I will do 30 second surges in the run, so I'm getting some turn over in there. I encourage people all year long to always keep an element of speed in your training. Three times a week doing 10 100 meters at your fastest. That keeps me able to turn over and keep my legs firing.

Chris Fiegler (Latham,NY)

What is the Coldest marathon that you have ran in your lifetime?

Ryan Hall

(2:50 PM)

The coldest I can remember is, I believe, the Olympic trials, and it wasn't that cold, I think the low 40s. The colder the better, for me. I would enjoy running a marathon in the 30s with arm warmers and beanie and all of that. I seem to run better in the cold. If I could order a day it would be 35 and no wind.

Ryan Hall

(2:51 PM)

Thanks for all of the great questions. Happy training. I'll see you out on the roads!